


happy birthday, mr. barnes

by jehans



Series: you can plan on me [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Birthday, Fluff, Happy Bucky Barnes, M/M, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-11
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-18 05:14:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29977899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jehans/pseuds/jehans
Summary: “Okay,fine,” Bucky admits. “Can you fucking blame me? The last time he decided to surprise me, it was the best thing that’s ever happened to me. The man’s got a good track record.”---It's March 10th, the first birthday Bucky has seen since Steve surprised him at Christmas and their relationship began. And Steve has another surprise planned.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: you can plan on me [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2204985
Comments: 5
Kudos: 67





	happy birthday, mr. barnes

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday to my favorite 104-year-old man!
> 
> Many thanks, as usual, to [Bones](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fingerprintbruises) for betaing this little fic! You saved me after my brain shut down for the night, like a very old computer!

“Knock knock.”

Bucky looks up from packing up his shoulder bag to glare at one of his closest friends, who is also his boss now. Carol grins back at him, only her head peeking through the door.

“Don’t _say_ ‘knock knock,’” Bucky complains, “just _knock_.”

“Can’t knock,” Carol retorts cheerfully. “My hands are full.”

And then Carol comes fully into Bucky’s classroom. She’s holding a small plate in one hand, atop which is a single chocolate cupcake, and her other hand is covering the already lit candle that’s stuck into the frosting.

“ _Happy birthday to you,_ ” Carol begins singing, joined by Maria Rambeau, who appears behind her as they sing.

Bucky presses both of his hands to his face, trying to hide his blush and his gigantic grin for the duration of his friends singing happy birthday to him. But Carol starts laughing at him before the song is even complete.

“ _Happy birthday, Mr. Barnes,_ ” the two sing together, one of them — definitely Carol — breathy and over-the-top, like Marilyn Monroe to John F. Kennedy. They clearly planned this out down to the letter. “ _Happy birthday tooo yooouuu!_ ”

Bucky lowers his hands, and tries _really hard_ to glare at Carol and Maria both before he grumpily blows out the candle and takes the proffered cupcake. But Carol and Maria are sporting the exact same fond, shit-eating grin, which tells him clearly that his show of grump is not at _all_ convincing.

“Thanks, guys,” he mumbles, ducking his head.

Maria laughs, and walks around his desk to plant a kiss on Bucky’s stubbly cheek.

“Happy birthday, Bucky,” she tells him again, this time not in song. “I’ve gotta go check on pick up, but I hope you and Steve do something nice tonight.”

“I’m sure we will,” Bucky tells her warmly. “He’s _insisting_ on surprising me this year, so I’m really just hoping it’s not anything _too_ extra. Thanks, Maria.”

“Yeah, well, good luck with _that_ ,” Maria chuckles before she blows him another kiss on her way out of the classroom.

Maria has only known Steve for three months — since January, when she became Shield Academy’s vice principal, and Bucky took over her classroom. Since Bucky and Steve are both friends with Carol, the school’s former vice principal, now new principal, and since Carol and Maria are friends in the kind of way that Bucky and Steve have a secret wager between them as to how long it’ll be before they start dating, Maria pretty much met Steve right away.

And apparently already knows him on a truly deep level, considering she knows how goddamn extra the love of Bucky’s life really is.

Carol doesn’t leave with Maria, so Bucky tears off a little chunk of his cupcake, and passes it back to her.

“God,” Bucky says after they’ve both make quick work of the cupcake, “that was fucking good.”

“You’re welcome,” Carol tells him, grinning again, even more fond this time. “How was your school birthday today?”

“It was good,” Bucky laughs as he goes back to packing up his bag. “Every single class sang me happy birthday and gave me a personalized card. I have heard that damn birthday song more times today than I ever need to in my life. Speaking of which, Ms. Danvers,” he says, zipping up his shoulder bag, “how the hell did all of my students today know it’s my birthday?”

Carol waggles her eyebrows mischievously. “I might’ve told them last week,” she admits. “It might have actually been an email that went out to all of your students’ guardians. It’s not important,” she concludes, waving it away with one hand.

“You are _ridiculous_ ,” Bucky tells her, but he can’t contain the laugh that comes out with it.

Carol shrugs, unrepentant. “You deserve it,” she says. She doesn’t give Bucky a chance to sincerely thank her, or respond to that at all, before she changes the subject. “Celebratory drinks aren’t till next weekend, right?”

“Yeah,” Bucky confirms, rolling his eyes. “Steve is really committed to this whole ‘surprise’ thing, and he wanted to make sure he could keep me on my toes about exactly how _many_ surprises he’s planning.”

Carol snorts. “Roll your eyes all you want, buddy, you can’t fool me. You’re _thrilled_ he’s surprising you.”

Bucky ducks his head again, because he’s _definitely_ blushing again. “Okay, _fine_ ,” he admits. “Can you fucking blame me? The last time he decided to surprise me, it was the best thing that’s ever happened to me. The man’s got a good track record.”

The last time Steve surprised Bucky was when he showed up unexpectedly at Bucky’s parents’ house on Christmas Eve, and then later that night, told Bucky he loves him. That was the night their relationship _finally_ began, after an actual lifetime of pining. Surprises from Steve are good things, in Bucky’s eyes.

“Nah, dude, I get it,” Carol tells him. “And on that note, I’m not gonna keep you here any longer. Go home to your boy, and whatever he has planned for you.”

“Thanks for the cupcake,” Bucky says genuinely, circling around the desk to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Mhm,” Carol replies, in a way that almost sounds weirdly noncommittal, and then shoos Bucky out of his own classroom before he can ask.

And okay, maybe Bucky has a little extra pep in his step as he leaves work today. And _maybe_ he’s kind of skipping, just a little bit, as he bursts through the doors and down the front steps on his way to the subway and home.

But then, suddenly, he’s skidding to a stop, eyes huge and mouth popped open in incredulity, right in front of his best friend, his boyfriend, the love of his entire life, Steve Rogers.

“Steve!” Bucky gasps, delighted to see his favorite sunshine-smiling face in the world. He reaches up as Steve leans down, and right before their lips meet, he manages to ask, “What are you doing here?”

Steve kisses Bucky deeply, prying Bucky’s mouth open with his tongue almost at once. He doesn’t pull away until Bucky starts giggling wildly into his mouth.

“What?” Steve asks warmly.

“We’re in front of a _high school_ ,” Bucky murmurs through his giggles, “where I _work_ , and you’re practically licking my tonsils.”

“Hey, I can’t help it,” Steve protests, his eyes crinkled almost closed with his smile. “My boyfriend is the hottest person alive, and I love him so fucking much, and it’s his _birthday_. My god-given right to lick your tonsils, if you’ll let me.”

Bucky clings to Steve as he cracks up, burying his face in Steve’s warm neck. “I love you, too, baby,” he breathes. “A lot, a lot, a lot.”

Steve kisses Bucky’s hair, and it’s only right now that Bucky notices the full-sized rolling suitcase next to him.

Steve follows Bucky’s confused gaze when he leans out of Steve’s embrace, only enough to cock his head to the side, like a perplexed puppy, at the suitcase.

“Why are you picking me up with a suitcase?” Bucky asks.

Steve grins. “So we can make our flight,” he answers.

Bucky is well aware that his entire _face_ drops open in astonishment at that. “Our what now?”

“Our flight,” Steve repeats, reaching into his breast pocket, and pulling out what are unmistakably two plane tickets. “I already talked to Carol, you’ve got the next two days off, and Monday, too, which is when we’re flying back. I packed clothes for us both.”

“This is too much!” Bucky cries, and reaches up to cradle Steve’s lovely face between his hands. But Steve shakes his head before Bucky can keep protesting.

“This is the first birthday you’ve had since you’ve been mine,” he says firmly, squeezing Bucky around the waist. “And I made _so_ much money from that Leyendecker thing. Let me give you everything.”

“I already have everything,” Bucky says, nosing Steve’s cheekbone. “I have you.”

Steve whimpers sweetly. “Jesus fuck, I love you,” he mutters. “We gotta go, baby, our flight.”

Bucky leans up to kiss those pretty lips one more time, just because he can. Just because he can’t help it. “Okay, Stevie,” he breathes, “let’s go.”

Steve releases Bucky’s waist so he can take hold of the suitcase, but he immediately takes Bucky’s hand, too.

“Where are we going?” Bucky thinks to ask while Steve is hailing a cab.

But Bucky’s stunning, kind, wonderful boyfriend looks at him like the little shit Steve is, and says, “Nuh-uh, it’s a surprise.”

Bucky groans, and rolls his eyes. But he literally couldn’t be happier.

As a cab pulls up to them, Steve ducks and kisses Bucky’s mouth, and whispers against his lips, “Happy birthday, Bucky.”

Without question, this year has proven to be Bucky’s happiest birthday ever.

🎂


End file.
